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Located in an unfashionable corner of North Ballard, an “urban village” a few miles off Seattle’s downtown, Copine is the new fine-dining venue of Chef Shaun McCrain and general manager Jill Kinney that opened last summer to rave reviews. Set in a space of rustic minimalism, the restaurant offers a polished menu of contemporary American cuisine presented through the lens of classic French cooking. Copine, a French word loosely translated as girlfriend, comrade or pal, was chosen by McCrain and Kinney as a symbol of their relationship with their guests—further entrenched by also offering a small selection of take-home prepared foods during lunch time—whereas the restaurant’s logo, a sprig of Sweet Cicely, a leaf of which also greets every guest on their bread-and-butter plate, is the duo’s lucky charm. 
Designed by Olson Kundig architect Kirsten Ring Murray, the restaurant occupies a daylight-filled corner space featuring concrete floors, off-white walls and linen-less tables that combines the stark austerity of an art gallery with the warmth of repurposed antiques and wooden surfaces. Entering the restaurant, one is immediately drawn in by a rough-hewn Douglas fir suspended trellis that extends over the bar delineating the length of the space. Accommodating both drinking and eating patrons, the bar is clad with reclaimed wood, as is the host station by the entrance, and is topped by a deep metallic shade of Richlite, a paper composite board. Photo by Rafael Soldi. 
Separating the bar from the main dining area, a sideboard crafted from a long slab of live-edge elm casts an impressive presence, picking up the light tones of the fir trellis and complementing the darker finishes of the bar counter and the dining furniture. The open-plan dining area is granted a sense of privacy by the off-white partitions, which cleverly also conceal some of the building’s mechanical systems, while the noise-abatement ceiling panels, painted in light grey along with the exposed ductwork, provide both visual and acoustic relief. Tucked off the main dining area and overlooking the open kitchen, the chef's table seats 10 guests who get to catch fascinating glimpses into the cooking process, as do passers-by through the kitchen windows along the sidewalk. 
Photo by Rafael Soldi. 
The short menu reads like a culinary stanza of North American and French inspiration with plates such as Hudson Valley foie gras terrine with duck confit and dashi gelée, heart of palms with heirloom beets and cardamom poached pear, Cervelas de Lyon sausage with black truffle and pistachio, and grilled rib-eye Bourguignon. Served as abstract works of art with Chef McCrain’s immaculate precision and painterly creativity, each dish is a sight for sore eyes as well as a treat for refined palates making a visit to Copine a beguiling experience of nonchalant elegance. 
Photo by Rafael Soldi. 
Photo by Rafael Soldi. Photo by Rafael Soldi. |
